Food Protection Task Force and Integrated Food Safety System Project Summary Summary of Proposed Activity In order to develop, test, and evaluate food safety and food defense health service activities and to foster the application of existing knowledge for the control of categorical and food related diseases and illnesses, the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Food Safety and Lodging, will develop a Food Protection Task Force and Integrated Food Safety System. Statement of Objectives and Methods to be Employed Quarterly Task Force meetings will be held in four cities at a frequency of once per quarter. The proposed locations are Dodge City in the southwest part of the state, Hoxie in the northwest, Manhattan in the northeast, and El Dorado in the southeast. The main goal of these Task Force meetings will be to foster a dialogue between key stakeholders in the food and feed safety fields in the state of Kansas. Representative from the food and feed safety programs in the Kansas Department of Agriculture, representatives from Kansas State University and other academics, Kansas Value Added Labs, Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association, and food and feed business owners will be invited to attend. Attendees of these meetings will comprise the Food Safety Task Force. The Task Force will produce a quarterly newsletter, addressing food and feed safety and security topics. This newsletter will be sent to licensed food and feed businesses and other interested parties. A needs assessment will also be performed at the meetings. Broad, Long Term Goals The long term goal of this cooperative agreement is to promote the concept of an Integrated Food Safety System by communicating and supporting agency and related federal, state, local, tribal and territorial objectives that maximize the protection of the public health through prevention, intervention and response including the early detection and containment of foodborne illness.